You know that feeling when you wake up, look at the stove clock, then look at your phone, and realize your brain is basically mush for the next forty-eight hours? Yeah. It’s coming. We do this twice a year like clockwork, yet somehow, it always feels like a surprise. If you’re trying to plan your life, your travel, or just your sleep schedule, you’re likely asking when do we change the clocks 2025 so you don’t end up showing up to brunch an hour late or, heaven forbid, an hour early.
Most of us in the U.S. and Canada are staring down two specific dates. In the spring, we "spring forward" on Sunday, March 9, 2025. This is the one everyone hates because we lose that precious hour of sleep at 2:00 a.m. On the flip side, we "fall back" on Sunday, November 2, 2025. That’s the glorious night where you get an extra hour of shut-eye, though the sun setting at 4:30 p.m. shortly after is a bit of a mood killer.
The 2025 Clock Change Calendar
Let's get specific.
For the vast majority of North Americans, the shift happens on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. On March 9, 2025, at exactly 2:00 a.m., clocks jump to 3:00 a.m. If you have an analog watch or a microwave that isn't "smart," you’ll be doing the manual scroll before you hit the hay on Saturday night. Then, as the leaves start to get crisp and the pumpkins rot on the porch, we hit November 2, 2025. At 2:00 a.m., the time resets to 1:00 a.m.
It’s not just a North American thing, but the timing is different elsewhere. If you’re heading to London or Paris, the European Union and the UK stick to the "last Sunday" rule. They’ll be shifting their clocks on March 30 and October 26. This creates a weird two-to-three-week window where the time difference between New York and London is actually shorter than usual. It’s a total headache for international business calls. Trust me.
👉 See also: Sleeping With Your Neighbor: Why It Is More Complicated Than You Think
Why are we still doing this in 2025?
Honestly, it feels a bit archaic. We’ve all heard the myth that it’s for the farmers. It isn't. Farmers actually hated it when it was first introduced because the cows don’t care what the clock says; they want to be milked when the sun comes up. The whole "Daylight Saving Time" (and no, there’s no 's' at the end of Saving, though everyone says it) was actually popularized during World War I to save energy. The idea was that more sunlight in the evening meant less coal used for artificial lighting.
Fast forward to now. We have LED bulbs and air conditioning. Some studies, like those from the Department of Energy, suggest we save a tiny bit of electricity. Other researchers, however, argue that we actually use more energy because we run our AC units longer during those hot, sunny summer evenings. It’s a bit of a wash.
There’s been a lot of noise in Congress about the Sunshine Protection Act. Senator Marco Rubio has been pushing this for years. The goal? Make Daylight Saving Time permanent. No more switching. The bill actually passed the Senate with a unanimous vote back in 2022, which is basically a miracle in modern politics, but then it stalled out in the House. Critics, particularly sleep experts from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, actually want the opposite. They argue that Standard Time—the winter schedule—is better for our internal biological clocks. They say that permanent DST would lead to "social jetlag," where our bodies are out of sync with the natural light-dark cycle.
The Health Toll Nobody Likes to Talk About
Changing the clocks isn't just about being late for work. It’s actually kinda dangerous.
✨ Don't miss: At Home French Manicure: Why Yours Looks Cheap and How to Fix It
When we lose that hour in March, researchers consistently see a spike in heart attacks and traffic accidents. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine noted a significant uptick in myocardial infarctions on the Monday following the spring forward. Your heart literally feels the stress of that lost hour of rest.
It’s also a nightmare for your circadian rhythm. Your "master clock" in the brain—the suprachiasmatic nucleus—relies on morning light to reset itself. When we shift the clocks, we’re essentially forcing ourselves into a new time zone without getting the vacation. For parents of toddlers or owners of hungry dogs, the time change is even worse. You can't explain the Uniform Time Act of 1966 to a two-year-old who wants Cheerios at 5:00 a.m.
Who gets to skip the madness?
Not everyone has to worry about when do we change the clocks 2025. If you live in Arizona, you’re golden. They opted out of the Uniform Time Act back in the sixties because they didn't want even more sunlight in the desert heat. The Navajo Nation within Arizona does observe DST, though, which makes driving across the state a confusing exercise in time travel.
Hawaii also ignores it. When you’re that close to the equator, the day length doesn’t vary enough to make a difference. The U.S. territories—Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—also stay on standard time year-round. They've basically figured out what the rest of us are still arguing about.
🔗 Read more: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Menu: Why You’re Probably Ordering Wrong
Getting Ready for the March 2025 Shift
Since we know the change is coming on March 9, you can actually mitigate the grogginess. Don't wait until Saturday night to adjust. About three days before, start going to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier each night. By the time Sunday morning rolls around, your body has already "pre-adjusted" to the new reality.
Also, get outside as soon as you wake up on that first Sunday. Natural sunlight is the strongest signal to your brain that the day has started. It helps suppress melatonin and kicks your cortisol into gear so you aren't a zombie at your desk on Monday morning.
Actionable Steps for 2025
Instead of just letting the clock change happen to you, take these specific steps to stay ahead:
- Mark your calendar now: Set a reminder for March 9 and November 2.
- Check the batteries: Use the clock change as a trigger to replace the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms. It’s a life-saving habit that’s easy to remember when the time shifts.
- Audit your "dumb" devices: Your phone and laptop will update automatically, but your oven, car dashboard, and that one wall clock in the hallway won't. Make a list so you don't spend all Sunday feeling like you're in two different eras.
- Prioritize morning light: Especially in March, try to get 10 minutes of direct sunlight before 9:00 a.m. to help your internal clock catch up.
- Watch the road: Be extra cautious during your commute on the Monday following the March 9 shift. Drowsy driving is a real factor that week.
The debate over whether we should stop changing the clocks will likely continue through 2025 and beyond. Until a law actually lands on the President's desk and gets signed, we're stuck with this biannual ritual. Just remember: spring forward, fall back, and maybe buy an extra bag of coffee for that second week of March. You're going to need it.